Comet boys extend streak to 7 with 68-51 win over Cadets

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The night after he surpassed 1,000 career points as a Comet, senior Chase Low added 18 more to his total while helping Charles City extend its winning streak to seven games with a 68-51 home victory over Crestwood, Tuesday in the latter game of a Northeast Iowa Conference varsity basketball doubleheader.

Low also grabbed 11 rebounds and was credited with two steals.

Comet juniors Kam Mestas scored 15 points and Keenan Wiley added 13 while Charles City improved to 13-3 overall while sweeping the season series against the Cadets.

Charles City also improved to 7-1 in the NEIC and is currently tied with Waverly-Shell Rock atop league standings with both teams scheduled to play two more conference games ahead of the postseason.

The Comets led throughout the entire game, often by double-digits though the Cadets did make a run midway through the third quarter to draw within 6 (41-35).

As in the previous game between the two teams played earlier in the month in Cresco, the Cadets’ 6-foot-5 wide-body senior forward Zach Mehmert proved to be a formidable menace for the Comets. The physical post player scored a game-high 19 points and “unofficially” achieved a double-double with his rebound total for the Cadets (12-6, 2-6).

* Less than a week removed from winning their first game of the season at North Butler, the Charles City girls basketball team vied for its first “home” win when taking on Crestwood in the first game of Tuesday’s DH.

Things were looking good early on for Charles City as both teams were engaged in a scoreless tie that lasted for the first two minutes of the game before Comet senior Maggie Boss opened the scoring with a layup — that was about how the game against the Bearcats started.

Crestwood eventually took the lead and began to pull away, but then senior Ava Ellis hit a 3-point field goal at the buzzer ending the first quarter to draw the Comets within 2 (11-9) while initiating a “dance off” competition amid the Charles City student section.

But Cadet senior Olivia Ollendick rained on the celebration by hitting a pair of 3-point field goals on consecutive possessions early in the second quarter and Crestwood never looked back on the way to winning 73-37 while improving to 7-12 overall at 2-6 in the NEIC.

Ellis led the Comets with 14 points and fellow CC senior Delaney Ruzicka added 8 for Charles City (1-16, 0-8).

Both Charles City squads will be back in action this Friday in a road NEIC varsity doubleheader at New Hampton.

Girls Varsity

CRESTWOOD 73, CHARLES CITY 37

Scoring By Quarters

CRESTWOOD 11 20 17 25 — 73

CHARLES CITY 9 7 11 10 — 37

Individual Scoring

CHARLES CITY  — Madie Lensing 2, Nakila Toney 2, Lauren Staudt 2, Janila Toney 2, Maggie Boss 2, Hannah Hoffman 5, Delaney Ruzicka 4, Ava Ellis 14.

RECORDS — Crestwood 7-12 (2-6 Northeast Iowa Conference), Charles City 1-16 (0-8)

Boys Varsity

CHARLES CITY 68, CRESTWOOD 51

Scoring By Quarters

CRESTWOOD 12 16 11 12 — 51

CHARLES CITY 18 21 16 13 — 68

Individual Scoring

CRESTWOOD — Ty Cotant 5, Layton Johnson 5, Nate Dietzenbach 3, Zane Wemark 6, Jackson Gual 13, Zach Mehmert 19.

CHARLES CITY — Jack Hanson 4, Brennan Schmidt 2, Keenan Wiley 13, Kayden Kasemeier 2, Joel Villagomez 2, Jeb Wandro 8, Drew Martin 4, Kam Mestas 15.

RECORDS — Charles City 13-3 (7-1 Northeast Iowa Conference), Crestwood 12-6 (2-6)